Can cleaning device



Aug. 31, 1943. v P, B 2,327,986

CAN CLEANING DEVICE Filed March 5, 1941 32 3/ if z; Z7 T z; w w

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i7 4; :2." f4 32 3 45 17 18 1/ 4/ 1/ 121; 3 a! Z/ 17 3/ v I M 235} ATTO NEYS is an enla ed sectional j Patented Aug. 31, 1943 1 52 .1 :-11 CAN CLEANING DEVICE t 1 V fieiIsPQBach, Geneva, Y., assignor to Ameri- 1 can Can Company, New York, N, Y., a corporation of New Jersey 1 Application March 5, 1941, Serial No. 331,913 1 1 Thepresent invention relatesto a container or can cleaning-device and has particular reference which may cling totheinside surface of the can.

In the manufacture of sheet metal cans; solder pellets and sometimes flux used in soldering the side seam often inadvertently collect inside the cell body during the seam soldering operation.

1 Obviously such foreign matter must be removed 1 from the can before it is used. Many methods and devices have been tried toquickly and' economically remove such foreign matter without scratching the inside surface of the can and when 1 this surface iscoated with enamel orthe like substance the problem of freeing the can of this foreign matter is considerably increased. 1 t 1 The instant invention contemplates overcoming this difficulty by providing a rotating brush broken awe i nd to dislodging solder pelletsfandto removing flux having radial blades which gently pressagainst g the inside of the can body when the brush is rotatedto dislodgethe solder pellets and to clean the can of accumulated dirt or flux. An object thereforeof the invention brush wherein radial blades insertable into a can to be cleaned gently engage against andsweep 1 clean of foreign matter the inside surface of the t can body in 1a manner which leaves the surface freeofscratches or other damage so as to maintain the continuity inthecan. l

1 is the pro-5 vision in a can 'cleaningfdevice 'ofafrotatable 1 of any protective coating used Another object is the provision of sucha, clean-" 1 ing device which will readily dislodge solder 1pe1- lets from the inside'of the-can without 1 scratching 1 the can and at the same time clean the surface of other foreign matter such as fluxf accumulated dirt'orthelike. 1

Another object is the provision of a cleaning deviceof this characterwhich is simplein con struction and economical to make-so that the wearing parts may be readily and frequentl f e Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as'it is better undera stood" from the following description, ,whi h, talren in connection 1 with the 1 accompanying drawing. discloses 1 a preferred embodiment thereof.

1 Referringtothe drawinsii cleaning head inserted within acan, with parts Fig-. 13 ,isfan enlarged composite end elevation and sectional view of the partsbroken away. 1 1 1 1 t 11 As a preferred embodiment of the instant invention the drawing illustratesacleanin'g device 1 for removingfsolder pelletsandflux from thefin sideenameled surface of the body of a cylindrical sheet metal canA. The can may be of any conventional type, known in the art as asani- 1 I tary can having a bottom B secured toorie end in asuitable jlldjj seam C and having'a flange D formed onjthefopposite end of the body for the reception of a top" afterthe can is filled with its contents.

Theycan1 Atobecleaned ispreferably clamped 1 b a mem Pa I11. ig-12 a t a vp plate llwith themouth'oropen end of 'thecan againsttherplate and adjacent an opening it in i The opening is preferably slightly v larger thanthe inside diameter of the can and the l plateadjacent the opening is preferably formed the plate.

withj a beveled surface orseat l4 against which the flangepof theca'nis clamped. 1 h I The cla pingpad H 1 7 8y be. axially movable relative tothe can while theplate I2 is preferably stationary relative tothe can although these 1 partsmay be portions of an automatic machine n which the clamping pad, thecan; and the late may rotate around an axis or may be otherwise movable to perform ,the can holding, conveying or advancingoperation asdesired.

In any case the can A to be cleaned is in l or axial alignment with a rotatingheader brush elementgenerally indicatedby the numeral 21! and disposed; on the oppositeside of the plate jlz as shown in Fig. L This head preferably includes I a cylindrical spider-,shaped,1el6ngated head body 40 22 having a tapered hub 23 which fits into a tapered seat 24in the end of-an enlarged portion 215 of a rotatable spindle26. ,Theyspindle may be rotatedin any suitable manner. l 1 '1 1 1 1 The head body 1221.1 is held in place on-"the spindlebyalong bolt 2l'i1which extends through a clearance hole 18 in the center of the head 1 1 i i 50 Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of acan cleaning device embodying the instant invention with be; $1 1 P t t b O e at d u on 1 parts broken away the view also illustrating a a. can

1 body. The innerend ofthe bolt'is threaded into 1 theenlarged'endofthespindle. 1 4

Thespider shaped headv body. 22 is "formedwith 1 four radial leg sectionsdispabed ninety degrees apart to leaveclearance spacebetween thern and their outside surfaces are curved so that the head as a unit will readily fitin'to the can A; Each of the leg sections 3| is forinedwithla radial slot tainer body, a relatively soft quill also yieldably carried in said head body in spaced relation to said blade for simultaneously wiping the inner surface of the container body, and spring devices carried by said head body engaging said blade and said quill for normally urging the same bodily radially outwardly relative to said head body.

5. A cleaning device fordislodging solder pellets and; for wiping outthe inside of container bodies, comprising in combination, ayrotatable head body insertable into acon-tainer to be H cleaned, a pair of relatively hard scraperblades yieldably carried in said head body and bodily movable relative thereto, said, blades being "10-,

cated one on each sidethereof in radial fashion and engaging against the inner surface ofthe container body with a sweeping action fordislodging solder pellets from the container body, a

a pair of relatively soft quills alsoyieldably carried in said head body and located one on each side thereof in radial fashion intermediate said Q means carried by said head body engagingsaid blades for wiping theinner surface of the container body, and spring means carried by said head body engaging said scraper blades and said quills for normally urging the same, radially bodily outwardly relative to said head body into tainer bodies.

6. A cleaning device for dislodging solder pel-, lets and for wiping out the inside of container bodies, comprising in combination, a rotatable spindle, a cylindrical spider shaped head body removabiy secured to said spindle and insertable intola container to be cleaned, a plurality of scraping blades removably and yieldably disposed, in said head and bodily movable relative thereto, a plurality of wiping quills also remov able and yieldably disposed in said head, said blades and said quills being arranged in alternate positions around the head for dislodging solder pellets from the inside surface of the container body and for simultaneously wiping the inside a surface of the container body as the head body clearance spaces rotates. said head body havin between the blades and the quills to receive the solder pellets dislodged by said blades, and spring scraping blades and said quills for normally urging the same radially bodily outwardly relative to said head body into engagement with the intenor of the container bodies to be cleaned.

NEILS P. BACK.

, cleaning engagement with the interior of the con- 

